The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-12-15
BENNETT ON THE STAND.
The Newport Miser Tells How He
Lost His Wealth.

BANGOR, Dec. 14.-Therc is a night guard
now at Bangor Jail. owing to the number
and reputation of the prisoners there, and
when he came from his nights vigil, this
morning he said that the two alleged
Newport robbers had passed restless night.
The early morning train and various teams
brought hundreds of folks from the towns
in the Western part of Penobscot county
and these, added to the city people, made up
a crowd of several thousand in an around
the Jail and court house.
At one. o'clock the prisoners were led
through this dense crowd to the Municipal
Court, where they were arraigned, and ad-
journment was then had to the county court
building. Here the prisoners sat shackled to-
gether and watched with anxious faces, the
proceedings, Don A. H. Powers, Esq, ap
peared as counsel for them. There were
present old Peter Bennett, whose head was
| still bound up with white cloth and an old
fashioned red handkerchief, his son and wife
and mis- granddaughter and her husband
| The prisoners took no notice of them as they
entered, and appeared as though
they had never seen or heard of them before.
Coudty Attorney Appleton announced the
prosecution in readiness. and to the charge
made against them of robbing Bennett of
$4,000, the prisoners pleaded in loud, clear
tones, not guilty.
Mr.. Powers asked the court to exclude GER
tain witnesses for the prosecution, during
the trial, claiming that such witnesses really
aided and abetted in the deed. George and
Sarah Patten, and Benefits son and wife
were removed
Peter Bennett said he was 70 one year ago
last February. During the examination he
became excited, and at one time was unable
to remember the name of his son-in-law, and
forgot who lived in the house with him at
the time of the robbery. He did not know
| where Patten ana his wife slept on the night
| of the rbbery, and all the time he was ramb-
| ling in his talk. He described his trunk and
| its contents, stating that he had not seen the
money in the trunk for ten days before the
robbery. The money was packed down nat.
"If didn't make no mistake in counting 1t,
l mad rising thirty thousand had a piece
of paper, and when l had counted one thous-
| and, i used to make a mark. L can't write,
except my name." Said he, in answer to
| questions: Il had gold, silver and bills"
The witness described the assault and
| said when he called for Patten no one an
swered. ''One thief had me by, the throat
trunk by my head. The ropes caught in the
door and the man holding me said, why in
hi don't you get that trunk. outY Inc
robbers fled, Patten and his wife were gone
and went towards my sons house, hrst
meeting his wife. We two went back to my
house. No one was there, but three-quar-
ters of an hour after my BON came. L can't
tell where patten and his wife were. ney-
er had any business with any Of the prison
ers and never saw them before. Meyer
made a secret of keeping money, in the
| trunk / have dog Major part shepherd.
| That night he was gone, and | did not see
| him until next day. / guess l did not see
| him the next day, even. he was all right
| when he came home.
On cross-examination, Mr.. Powers endeav-
ored to show that Bennett never had the
amount of money he claimed to possess.
| Bennett denied that he had said anything
which would implicate his son.
James o. Sylvester, of Pennington, the
| deputy sheriff who made the arrest was the
next witness called. He told of hearing that
| suspicious characters were in his vicinity,
| and testified to the route taken by him and
| the final arrest at Rumford, where the men
were brought He said that Whitney resist,
| ed arrest somewhat,a and told what was found
| on the men when searched. The money was
| all wadded up and he got $1,000 OF the men.
The witness produced the money In court
| and it was examined. He said that old Ben
| nett had seen the money and identified the
| paper around it. He had shown the money
| with blood on it to a physician. who analyzed
| it but had not received his report. The rest
| of his story has already been given.
Asher D. Horn OF Farmington, was the
| next witness He keeps livery stable, and
| went with Sheriff Sylvester in pursuit OF the
| suspected men. He detailed the particulars
! of following and finding them at Rumiord
| Ferry. The story is similar to what mas al
ready been published. He helped search
| the men and took one bunch of money from
| Whitney's coat pocket and another from his
vest pocket. Both were wadded up and APP
peared as if they had been grabbed up and
hastily thrust into the pocket He thought